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Artificial intelligence (AI) stocks have delivered impressive gains to investors over the past couple of years or so. But they have fallen out of favor in 2025, thanks to ongoing economic turmoil triggered by the tariff war and concerns regarding the viability of the huge amounts of money spent on AI infrastructure.
However, the proliferation of this technology is unlikely to slow down. AI adoption is forecasted to contribute a whopping $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, according to PwC. The consulting firm points out that while a big chunk of this contribution will come from an increase in AI-powered applications, productivity gains are expected to add an impressive $6.6 trillion to the global economy by the end of the decade.
That's why now could be a good time to buy top AI stocks on the cheap, considering the potential gains they could deliver in the long run. Let's take a closer look at two names that have been hammered on the market this year but seem capable of flying higher in the long run.
Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) stock has lost nearly a quarter of its value so far this year, and that's precisely why buying this AI pioneer is a no-brainer right now. Nvidia is trading at 22 times forward earnings, which is a discount to the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 index's earnings multiple of 27 (using the index as a proxy for tech stocks).
Of course, Nvidia does face challenges such as tariff-related uncertainties that could make its chips pricier, along with the latest restrictions on the sale of its AI processors to China that will cost the company $5.5 billion. However, the demand for AI infrastructure is likely to remain solid in markets outside China, especially in the U.S.
After all, cloud computing giants are expected to spend $320 billion to shore up their AI infrastructure in 2025. Even better, tech giants such as Alphabet have reaffirmed their spending commitments despite the tariff-fueled turmoil. Meanwhile, foundry giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing says that it has "not seen any change in our customers' behavior" on account of tariffs, which is another indication that AI chip demand remains solid.
Nvidia is one of TSMC's major customers. The fact that even the Taiwan-based foundry has reiterated its 2025 capex plan and is expecting sales of AI accelerators to double suggests that it isn't anticipating any slowdown in demand. That's not surprising, as the huge capital investments mentioned above -- along with programs such as the Stargate Project for developing AI infrastructure in the U.S. -- should ensure healthy demand for AI chips.
Regarding tariffs, the recent exemptions on the imports of semiconductors, smartphones, and certain other electronic items from China, along with a pause on "reciprocal" tariffs from other countries, suggest that the Trump administration is willing to be flexible. Additionally, President Donald Trump has suggested that the recent escalation in the trade war with China could get to a conclusion.
These developments suggest that recent fears about Nvidia's growth hitting a speed bump could eventually turn out to be overblown. As such, buying Nvidia following its recent dip could turn out to be a smart move. The company's revenue guidance of $43 billion for the current quarter points toward an impressive 65% year-over-year increase, while its huge addressable market opportunity suggests that Nvidia could fly higher in the long run. Investors should consider taking advantage of its recent sell-off.
SentinelOne (NYSE: S) is another attractive AI stock to buy right now following a 25% decline in its share price this year. The company is benefiting from the growing adoption of this technology in the cybersecurity space. According to one estimate, the size of the AI cybersecurity market is expected to jump by more than 5x between 2023 and 2032, generating more than $120 billion in annual revenue.
SentinelOne started offering AI-based tools to customers a couple of years ago. Its cybersecurity platform is now AI-native, which means that it has integrated AI from the ground up across its various offerings. The company offers AI-powered cloud security, data protection, identity protection, and endpoint protection to customers, as well as a generative AI cybersecurity assistant called Purple AI.
These tools seem to be gaining healthy traction among customers. This was evident from CEO Tomer Weingarten's comments on the March earnings conference call:
In Q4, we achieved record bookings contribution from our data, cloud and AI security solutions, once again, showing the accelerating adoption of our broader platform. Data and AI were our fastest-growing solutions fueled by adoption of our Singularity AI SIEM (security information and event management).
The CEO cited several instances where its AI-driven tools helped SentinelOne win business from other customers while also helping it land bigger contracts from existing customers. As a result, the company's remaining performance obligations (RPO) increased by 30% year over year in the previous quarter. That was a point higher than the revenue growth SentinelOne recorded in the quarter, suggesting that it's landing more contracts than it's fulfilling.
As RPO refers to the total value of a company's contracts that are yet to be fulfilled, the stronger growth in this metric as compared to SentinelOne's revenue bodes well for the company's future. Moreover, the huge addressable opportunity that AI is adding to the cybersecurity market should ideally pave the way for stronger growth in the company's business.
Analysts are expecting SentinelOne to record healthy 20%-plus top-line growth in the current and the next couple of fiscal years.
S Revenue Estimates for Current Fiscal Year data by YCharts.
However, don't be surprised to see the company doing better than that. AI has unlocked a much bigger growth opportunity for SentinelOne. It's stock is trading at just over 6 times sales, compared to its price-to-sales ratio of almost 9 at the end of 2024, so investors are getting a good deal on this cybersecurity stock. Consider grabbing this opportunity right away, since the robust adoption of AI in cybersecurity could send SentinelOne soaring in the long run.
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Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Harsh Chauhan has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Nvidia, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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